Comb



Aug. 11, 1942. as. TuPPl-:R

COMB

\Original Filed Aug. 6,` 1940 Patented Aug. 11,1942

' `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE com;

Earl S. Tupper, Harvard, Mall.

original application August ve, 1940, serial No.

351,611. Divided and this application-December 1, 1941, serial No. 421,-o9s l `s claims '(01. 132-11) This invention relates in general to combs, and more particularly to combs for hairdressing purposes.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a rat-tail handle comb having means by which such liquids as water, hair-lotion, wave-set, tonic,

coloring, or other fluid materials; the provision of a comb handle which will form curls when the hair is wrapped therearound; the provision of means comprising grooves in the'rat-tail handle of the comb for wetting the formed curl on'the inside of the curl, such means also being used to guide hair pins into curls formed on the handle; and the provision of a light weight comb having attractive means for a more rapid, accurate, and even method of forming curls.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a front elevation of a comb embodying -one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of another form of the invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a further form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the teeth of a still further modication.

Figs. 1 and 2 disclose a comb having a back I0 to which the roots of the teeth of an ordinary comb are connected. In the present instance, teeth I4 may correspond in depth, i e. distance from side to side of the comb, to the teeth of the conventional comb, as will be apparent from Fig. 2. These teeth I4 may occur every third tooth, the two intervening teeth I6 being much less in depth than teeth I4, so that in effect teeth I4 rise up or extend out to a greater distance than teeth I6. This arrangement may be made with alternate deep teeth, or with every fourth, fth, etc. tooth a deep tooth, depending on the appearance desired, or other conditions. Also, the deep teeth I4 may be raised above normal teeth, or the teeth of less depth may be sunken below the normal teeth, the latter condition being that disclosed in Figs. l and 2. Also, of course, the deep teeth I4 may appear on both sides of the comb.

The comb back I0 may be cut or molded along three-sided enclosures having bottoms 22 are thus.provided,such bottoms being in `the same general plane as the front faces of teeth I6.

The effect of the above-described structure is to present a series of thin transverse dams, composed of teeth I4 and a rear wall 20, between each dam, to provide an enclosure or shelf for the scooping up and retention of liquids, without. however, ailecting the useof the comb per se. Hence, a comb embodying the present invention may be dipped into a bottle of wave-set, coloring, tonic, etc. and relatively large amounts of such liquid will `be retained between the dams, thus avoiding the application of the liquid by separate means. The surface tension of the liquid will insure against its falling through the spaces between the teeth and therefore teeth I6, together with surfaces 22 will form the bottom of a large shelf area for liquid retention. This structureprovides for picking up a many times greater volume of liquid than combs in the prio art.

Also, the dams will prevent the liquid from owing down to one end of the comb, as usually happens, and keep the liquid evenly distributed over the entire comb area which has been .dipped in a bottle or held under a water-tap. This results in avoidance of spilling the liquid on the vclothes when the comb is not ln horizontal position.

A further use of the present comb resides in its capability to scrape excess liquids and oils from the hair, since it is clear that upon running the comb through the hair, such excesses will be deposited on the shelves formed by the bottoms 22. i

Figs. 3 and4 show a modification of the invention wherein all the teeth 24 and 26are of the same depth, but the latter have been reduced at the lower back area 28, so that smaller enclosures are formed, these enclosures being limited by the back area 28, teeth 24 and back 30. These enclosures perform the same functions as the shelves disclosed in Fig. l, but of course are smaller.

Fig. 5 shows the preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein the teeth and back may be curved lines to form rear walls 2U, and as shown, 55

previously rolled on the handle. 'I'his is a very convenient means by which the curl may have a pin applied to hold it without mussing or bunching up the curl. There may be a groove Il on' each side of the rat-tail.

Fig. 6 presents a still further modication in which the teeth 40 are staggered. as seen in cross-section, so that liquid retaining enclosures I2 are formed on both sides of the comb.

It is to be understood that the grooved rattail 32 may be used with any of the tooth forms. and that any tooth form may appear on one or both sides of the comb, and it is further particularly pointed ou't that grooves 34 in handle 32 are used as liquid retaining receptacles for moistening the interior of curls formed thereon so that the curls will be Wet inside and thus `will be enabled to hold their shapes better. Also,-

the construction illustraited in Fig. shows that the groove is not open ended, but is stopped at its ends by the material of the handle, and the liquid cannot escape except by flowing over the raised ridge which extends completely around the groove.

This application is a division of my application Serial Number 351,611, led August 6, 1940. now Patent Number 2,264,346, dated December 2, 1941.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, 1 do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as kset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A comb having a rat-tail handle, a longitudinal groove in said handle, and a closed liquid tight bottom for said groove, said bottom providing a hair pin guide.

2. A comb having a rat-tail handle, a longitudinal groove in said handle, said groove having a closed, imperforate bottom and continuous side walls forming a liquid holding pin guide for curls on said handle and a positive hair pin guide.

3. A comb having'at-tail handle, a longitudinal groove in said handle, said groove having a closed bottom, continuous side walls, and a closed end, said groove forming a liquid-retaining pocket in said handle and being capable of use as a guide for hair pins, whereby said hair pins cannot project through the handle from side to side thereof.

4'.' A comb of the class described having a long narrow handle at one end thereof, said handle being provided with a longitudinal groove in at least one side thereof, said groove having an imperforate bottom and continuous side-walls to form a liquid holding recess and a positive hair pin guide.

5. A comb as recited in claim 4 wherein said groove is closed at at least one end to form a liquid retaining receptacle.

6. A comb having a tapered rat-tail handle, a longitudinal tapered groove in said handle, said groove having an imperforate bottom and continuous side walls so that said groove forms a liquid retaining pocket in the handle and a positive hair pin guide 7. A comb having two series of teeth, the teeth of one series extending at least in part laterally of the comb beyond the teeth o1' the other series, said teeth of said one series being greater in depth than the teeth of the other series, and a rat-tail handle for said comb, and a groove in a side of said handle, said groove and said teeth forming separate liquid retaining means in a side of the comb.

8. A comb having a rat-tail handle, a longitudinal groove in said handle at opposite sides thereof. said grooves having imperforate sides and bottoms and providing liquid holding pockets so that liquid in said pockets will be applied to hair curled on said handle, and said pockets also providing hair pin guides, so that the pins cannot extend through the handle by reason of the imperforate bottoms.

EARL S. TUPPER. 

